Who Said the Sky Was the Limit?
by ghibli22
Summary: Slight AU where the Heros attend the same high school in Oriental Town. Keith is the kid that everyone likes- Ivan tries not to get noticed. Somehow an unusual friendship forms. But what could they have to offer each other? Keith/Ivan main with others


_First Tiger & Bunny story! I hope you readers like it :)_

_For clarification..._

_Senior: Antonio, Kotetsu and Nathan. Junior: Keith and Barnaby. Sophomore: Karina and Ivan. Freshman: Pao-Lin._

_Pairings: Keith/Ivan main, with maybe a few on the side. We'll see :)_

* * *

"Say, Bun-ny! Why do you always have to be so mean to me, huh?"

"Perhaps if you acted more your age, Kotetsu, I wouldn't have to. And for the last time, my name is Barnaby, not Bunny."

The high school in Oriental Town was like any other school one might find outside of Sternbild City. It had all the basic necessities, funded for art and sports, and boasted a wonderful view of the city from the roof.

"You know, I think he may be right, Kotetsu. You may be a senior but sometimes you act like a grade schooler."

"Not you too, Antonio!"

All in all a perfectly average school. With perfectly average, normal students. For the most part.

"Fine then. If I have to call you Barnaby, then you have to call me Wild Tiger!"

"Kotetsu-"

"Well? How about it, Bunny?"

"If he can call you Bunny can I call you Handsome~?"

"No, Nathan..."

Including Keith Goodman.

"Raaawweeeer!"

Keith laughed along with Antonio and Nathan as Kotetsu leapt up, mimicking a tiger and baring his teeth at Barnaby. Barnaby in turn rolled his eyes, although those with an appreciation for the subtler things in life would have noticed the good natured smile that briefly crossed his lips. Ever since he had moved there in early fall the two had been practically joined at the hip, which was mostly Kotetsu's fault, "I'm not calling you 'Wild Tiger'. It's childish and you're simply proving my point."

Kotetsu slung an arm around the younger student, grinning, "Then Bunny it is!"

There was another round of laughter at Barnaby's pained look. Keith smiled and took another bite of his sandwich. He shared enough classes with Barnaby to know that he was a very dedicated worker, and it was nice to know that Kotetsu had found such a good friend. Even if he was a year younger, "Friendship is wonderful, isn't it?" he said with a smile.

"Nothing better!" Kotetsu proclaimed, going back to his own lunch.

"What's better?" Keith looked around, spotting Karina and Pao-Lin making their way to the table. As they sat down he stood, making more way for them.

"We were just talking about friendship! Please, take my spot."

Pao-Lin tilted her head, "Why? Are you going somewhere?"

He nodded, "I promised Mr. Saito that I would help clean out his classroom!"

Antonio chuckled, a low, deep sound, "You know you don't actually have to live up to your name, Goodman."

Keith just waved, smiling brightly and walking out, although a small knot of guilt settled in his gut. True, he had promised to help clean out the science room, but he knew that it wouldn't take much time to accomplish. What he really wanted was time to get up to the roof. It was wonderful up there, with fresh air and a clear view of the city. What could be better in the middle of a busy school day? It was a harmless enough fib, but lying to your friends was never the right thing to do.

After cleaning the room and gaining the thanks of the soft spoken teacher, Keith stopped briefly at his locker for his books before making a swift exit up to the roof. A smile bloomed across his face as he pushed the door open, stepping out into the fresh air. It was a beautiful sunny day, the pristine blue sky filled with perfect white clouds. He walked to the railing, discarding his jacket on the way. It may have been autumn, many of the trees already in full color, but it was still fairly warm, a pleasant breeze sifting through his hair. Shielding his eyes from the sun he looked out, just spotting Sternbild over the horizon. The City of Heroes.

"It must be so exciting to live there!" he exclaimed, stretching, "What a dream that would be!"

Behind him he heard a small gasp and turned, surprised to find himself in someone else's company on the roof, "I'm sorry! Did I scare you? Were you here first? I was just looking at the view, isn't it beautiful?"

He smiled at the small Asian-looking girl that had jumped up when he interrupted her. She was about a foot shorter then him, although he was pretty tall to begin with, and sported raven black hair that fell past her shoulders. She took a step back, defensive, and he tilted his head curiously, staring into her violet eyes, "Did I say something wrong?"

Without replying she turned on her heel, dashing back into the school. Keith frowned, scratching his head. Maybe she was sick? She seemed to run away pretty fast. Or maybe she was just shy. Smiling to himself he nodded, deciding that this much be the case and sparing another longing glance at the view.

As he leaned against the rail, something brightly colored caught his eye and before he knew it he found himself turning back to the spot the girl had been sitting. There was something there, lying on the ground and fluttering in the light breeze. Walking over he bent down, picking it up and raising the object to eye level, smiling once more as he realized it was a small dog made of paper. _Just like John!_ he thought before a second one flashed across his consciousness _The girl!_

"Miss?" holding the craft carefully he hurried back to the entrance, only to be disappointed at the lack of anyone on the stairs. Keith looked down at the dog in his palm before shrugging and slipping it carefully into his pocket. If she wasn't here then he would simply have to find her later! Plan at hand and mission in mind he walked back to the edge, sitting down and settling in the watch Sternbild from afar.

XXXXX

Ivan Karelin burst into the boy's locker room, out of breath and looking back and forth to make sure no one was around. Clutching at his arms he made his way to one of the bathroom stalls, heels clicking noisily on the cheap tile floor before he locked himself in. Taking a few deep breathes to try to calm himself, he stared with disdain at the feminine hands in front of him. Nails painted green and skin tone a little too olive for his taste. Rubbing his eyes he absolutely refused to look down at the rest of his borrowed body.

"Alright, Ivan. Alright..." cringing internally at the voice that was not his, he closed his eyes, trying to reach as close to a meditative state as he could manage in a dirty school bathroom. Slow breathing. In and out. After a few minutes work he felt the second skin gradually begin to melt away. His body became stockier and a tad shorter, his skin lightening and clothes returning to his regular baggy pants and violet jacket. Groaning he ran a hand over his face, an odd kind of relief spreading through his gut at the feel of his own bone structure. He hated it, _hated it_, when he got stuck. He imagined that one day he would get used to the feeling of transforming into someone else but for now... Now it just sucked. Especially when it happened without his controlling it.

Sighing, Ivan pushed open the stall, walking to a mirror over one of the sinks to check if anything had stuck. Scowling at his reflection, he pulled angrily at his short strands of hair that had stubbornly chosen to remain black, "You've got to be kidding me..." Glaring at his reflection he closed his eyes, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the blue glow that surrounded him as he intentionally activated his powers. A few minutes later he was back to normal, hair color and all.

Pushing out of the locker room he walked to his locker, shoulders hunched so as not to be noticed. Keeping a blank face he took out his things, waiting for the hallway to fill with people before heading out once more to get lost in the crowd. Okay, so today was a bad day. Okay, so someone saw him when he was... Transformed. But at least he didn't look anything like he normally did. If he was lucky, that jock of a student would forget about the whole thing and just go on with his life. It wasn't like he'd ever see him again.


End file.
